Language, long queues key worries on 1st hearing day
Times of India | 28 December 2025
Kolkata: From language barriers to waiting in long queues, electors in Kolkata faced multiple problems on the first day of hearing.
The voters who were called in for hearings on Saturday at Ganabhavan near Sovabazar complained that the EC officials were not well conversant in Bengali. Gobinda Mallick, a voter of part number 91 in the Shyampukur Assembly constituency, said, "I requested them to change my hearing date as my documents are presently at my son's place. But I faced a lot of hardship in communicating it as they are not well conversant with the Bengali language, and I am also poor in Hindi. With the help of the BLO, I managed to change my hearing date."
However, the venue has adequate spaces with facilities like drinking water and washrooms, the voters who were called in for hearings on Saturday said.
The scene was different at Sri Vidya Niketan, another hearing venue near Ganabhavan, where a long queue of voters was seen in a narrow passage. People also complained that they were waiting for over an hour as the queue was moving too slowly. "I have been standing for over an hour at the same place. The queue is not moving at all. The officials are taking time to complete one hearing," Laxmi Prasad Shaw said, adding that the venue lacks facilities like drinking water and a washroom.
Some voters also alleged that they were not asked to carry photocopies. "My BLO asked me to carry original documents only. Now, the AERO told me that I will have to submit photocopies of the documents," Md Sufiyan Alam, a Rajabazar resident who came to Jessop Building, said.